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Monday, May 21, 2012

CH91: On My Move, Lady Gaga, Bad Habits and Diablo 3

Moving House:
Last week was very hectic. I had to move transfer flat from the Balestier area to Lavender/Nicoll Highway. My decision on moving to a 650 SGD condo room to an 820 HDB room could be explained by the following:
1. The room (I was in) was supposed to be a common room but it felt and looked like a maid's room based on the size. It's about 1/5th of my room in the Philippines.
2. The commute to work was more than 30 minutes.
3. The rush hour in the MRT felt like PH rush hour.

the room. i hate that wardrobe. but it's very spacious (or the room i was in before is just too small)

There are pros and cons to moving. But I won't be discussing them in detail. But putting aside the negatives from the previous room, the pros with the new place - despite the higher price - are offset by the following:
1. The commute to work is comprised of a walk to the Nicoll Highway MRT (~4-5 mins), MRT to Marina Bay Station, walk to Marina Bay Financial Center Tower 2 (office).
2. The place where my dragon boat team loads up to paddle and where we do our land trainings is just a walk from home (~9-10 mins)

Only later did I learn of the other perks like a fiber optic connection:

my diablo 3 corner. that's an ikea lamp (i received from last christmas) I use for mood lighting

Lady Gaga:

Come next Tuesday, May 29, 2012, I will be watching Lady Gaga in concert here in Singapore. And unlike the last time I watched her in Araneta - where we were high up - , this time I can see her up close! Not up close as in the most expensive ticket, but just close enough - 2nd-most-expensive-ticket-close.

lady gaga concert tickets claimed

I don't quite understand why at this day and age, people still call and label artists or performers satanic. There was an uproar before during the 90s where there were artists' tapes (yes cassette tapes) being back-masked and hearing satanic worship. I would have thought that people became more open and less conservative-like-on-a-high-horse.

I understand why some people in the Philippines (or Indonesia) feel the need to voice out their opinion of the artist. But what I don't understand is labeling the artist to be satanic because that's how they interpret her music and rise to fame. So what are we then, the people who appreciate Lady Gaga's music? Stupid? Dumb? Satanic followers? Or what does that say about them? Hypocrites casting the first stone.

I mean, come on! There are other concerns in the world to call action for. Given that they - the protesters - have the right to voice their opinions, the same leeway and respect should be given to the people who pay to see a show. SHOW being the operative word.

Bad Habits:
I don't recall how it happened, but I'm back on the stick. It comes at a very bad time when my 2 races is just less than 6 days away. Oh well, it's a test I must overcome. Self-control bullshit. I seriously don't recall when the snowball effect happened, it was just a few sticks, then I'm back where I was before.

Anyway, if I managed to quit for almost a month, then it should be possible to do the feat yet again - and maybe that next time, it's really final. Otherwise, I can always seek alternative approaches like nicotine patches or nicotine gum, etc.

Diablo 3:
Yes, the game came out last May 15. I lined up and waited for the launch which I thought would run smoothly. It didn't at first and I wasted 2-3 hours waiting for the queue to pick up. I was number 133. Some people had numbers 300+. They were evidently pissed at how slow the release was going and there was a bit of an uproar coming from the more vocal Singaporeans telling the organizers to do something about the slow pace of handing over the games. After about 2 hours since launching, the organizers changed their approach and things went more efficiently then.

Diablo 3 Launch

On the game, it's GOOD! GREAT! AWESOME! It's very reminiscent of Diablo 2. The approach to skills and levelling is different though. You are not given much liberty on the skill track you get to choose, you can learn all the skills as you level up - but it is up to you to select the skills for the hotkeys - which is only 4 (aside from the two mouse buttons) - so a total of 6.

It's hard to juggle playing with the other activities I have in line. That's why, I'm a bit miffed with myself as my other friends already finished the game and are already in Nightmare mode.

Diablo 3! Play play! See you in sanctuary!

Anyway, if you're a fan - or finding a good game to play - Diablo 3 is a worth it buy! The replay value is awesome. You've got a lot of characters you can choose to play as - and you can create other players once you finish. It's hours and hours on end of gaming!